Radioactive (Night Visions songfic)
Song one of Night Visions. I'm waking up to ash and dust I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust I'm breathing in the chemicals Winters in Featherclan were hard. Ice covered the ground, nipping at the cats’ paws as they moved around the camp. Prey was scarce, cats grew grumpier, and cats died. That was the summary of every winter in Featherclan. Inside the apprentices’ den, a small grey tom shivered. One wall of the den suffered storm damage earlier on in the year, but no-one had bothered to fix it. All of the other dens in the cam had been insulated with earth and stones, so no cat had to feel the harsh cold as they slept. Except Mosspaw. A shadow loomed over him, blocking out all light. The little amount of heat that was in the den vanished. Mosspaw felt his blood turn to ice. His mentor’s huge brown paw prodded him, turning him over. Mosspaw snarled as he felt his belly be exposed to the ice. “Don’t snarl at me!” his mentor snapped. Bramblefoot was an incredibly crabby warrior, and winters made his attitude unbearable. Mosspaw rolled his eyes and lashed his tail, wincing at the pain the cold caused him. Bramblefoot slammed a paw on him. “I saw that!” he snarled. “Now get up! Get up! What kind of clan cat are you? You’re too young to become an elder!” Anger bubbled through Mosspaw, warming his body. “I am not an elder! You’re the elder! Useless and complaining all the time! Just die and get out of my life!” He darted under Bramblefoot’s belly, and slashed at it with thorn-sharp claws. Bramblefoot expected him to twist, but Mosspaw used his expectations to his advantage. Mosspaw quickly darted back to his nest and dragged Bramblefoot down with his claws. Amazingly, Bramblefoot’s face brightened. “That was good!” he praised. A warm feeling spread throughout Mosspaw. Bramblefoot didn’t praise him often! “Mosspaw, I’d be delighted if you showed that move to our newest warriors. I’ve never seen anything like that before!” Mosspaw beamed at his mentor, and father. “Flamegaze! Berryheart! Russetwing!” Bramblefoot called out the brown tom. One by one, he clan’s newest warriors slid out from the warriors’ den. Flamegaze: A beautiful flame-coloured she-cat with bright green eyes. Mosspaw had loved her ever since he was apprenticed. Berryheart: A pale ginger she-cat with black fluffy paws and a blood-red patch on her chest, hence the suffix —heart. As a kit, Mosspaw enjoyed pouncing on her paws. Berryheart, Berrypaw at that time, always purred and played along. Russetwing: A dark grey she-cat with russet patches on both of her flanks that looked like wings. Mosspaw liked her the least. She looked like she trusted no-one, although many cats tried to convince him that Russetwing had a nice side to her. Three she-cats, all sisters. Their warrior ceremonies were last night. Mosspaw opened his jaws to let in the scent of his clan. A cluster of snowflakes made their way into his mouth and he coughed. “Mosspaw!” gasped Berryheart. “Are you alright?” Mosspaw coughed up the snowflakes and they blew into his face. The four warriors laughed. Even Russetwing. Bramblefoot licked a paw. “Shall we get going then?” he asked. All cats nodded. “Very well,” meowed Bramblefoot. “To the training area!” I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus This is it, the apocalypse Whoa Flamegaze trailed behind the patrol. She observed Bramblefoot. As a murderer, it was best to know what you were up against. Otherwise it could be a death sentence. Large, but slow. Well-muscled. Knoweledge of fighting moves slightly above average. A challenge, but I’ll succeed! “Flamegaze!” screeched Russetwing. “That’s the third time today! Keep up or I’ll leave you lost! And trust me, you won’t like that!” Flamegaze snorted. Lost? Featherclan’s territory was so small that it took two minutes of walking to get from one end to the next. And trust? Sure, Russetwing was her sister, but she didn’t have to trust ''her. Flamegaze plodded on through the snow, muttering a song as she went: ''Plodding on through the snow, I know, It’s a waste of time but I have to go, I don’t know where, even so, '' ''I have a burning desire to know, What in Starclan do I have to undergo? Bramblefoot glared at her as she caught up with the patrol. “Why do you have to be so rude?” “Oh I’m not being rude,” she said sweetly. “I’m just wondering where we are going. We should have got there ages ago. Maybe you can’t navigate properly.” She looked triumphantly at Bramblefoot’s shocked face. “You take the lead then.” He stomped to the back of the patrol. Flamegaze purred, so sweetly that it was making herself sick. “Well my knowledge tells me that it’s right here,” she said, and thrust aside a plant. She didn’t know, or care, what it was. Suddenly a small avalanche of snow rushed towards them, swallowing them up in its freezing oblivion. “You flea-brain, Flamegaze!” yowled Berryheart. “Now you’ve got us trapped!” I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones Enough to make my systems blow Every cat was squabbling, blaming each other. “Flamegaze is the one to blame!” spat Berryheart. “Well if Bramblefoot used his common sense he would have found the correct entrance and we wouldn’t be in this mess!” hissed Flamegaze. Bramblefoot thrashed around wildly. “Leave me out of this argument!” he whined like a kit. “It was partly your fault anyway,” snapped Flamegaze. Then Mosspaw decided to speak up. “Has anyone seen Russetwing?” All cats fell silent. “Mosspaw,” whispered Berryheart. “I hate to break it to you honey, but I think Russetwing’s dead.” Russetwing was dead. Dead from the cold. “Get out of the snow,” ordered Bramblefoot. “Climb upwards, or whatever. We need to find Russetwing’s body and get back to camp.” “But what about training?” whined Mosspaw. Bramblefoot gritted his teeth. “There are more important things to worry about, son.” Welcome to the new age, to the new age Welcome to the new age, to the new age “I’ve found her!” exclaimed Flamegaze. She scooped aside pawfuls of snow to uncover more of her frozen sister. Berryheart ran to them and pressed an ear to Russetwing’s chest. Berryheart looked up at Flamegaze. “I don’t think she will live.” Flamegaze yowled. “She has to live!” Mosspaw stoked her flank. “This is new to you,” he soothed. “There are many ways of dealing with loss.” Suddenly, Flamegaze snapped back into reality. She was always there, but she let her inner self take control. No! She was a cold-blooded killer. She knew her destiny, and nothing could stop her from reaching it. Not even her inner self, that was possessed by demons long ago. “Get off me!” she snarled, and flung Mosspaw away. Berryheart and Bramblefoot looked at her as if she’d just grown rabbit ears. Berryheart stepped forwards. “It’s okay, honey. Loss is new to you.” Loss? Flamegaze laughed silently. Flamegaze wasn’t suffering loss! She never cared for Russetwing at all|! “Just get back to camp,” snapped Bramblefoot. “A cat’s life is at risk here!” Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive Back at camp, Mosspaw scratched lines in the ground as he listened to his parents argue. His mother, Larknose, was a sensitive cat, and was heartbroken at the news of a cat dying. “She isn’t even your kin!” Bramblefoot yelled at her. He turned around and walked towards the camp entrance. “But its a tragedy!” wailed Larknose. Bramblefoot stopped walking suddenly. Oh no, ''thought Mosspaw, who had stopped scratching lines. His father laughed. “Did you mourn for that elder who died last moon in Streamclan? Were you sad at his death?” “No,” meowed Larknose meekly. “But why for Russetwing? Let others mourn for her.” Larknose raised her head. “I—I think you’re right.” Bramblefoot ignored her. “You’re stupid, Larknose,” he spat. “Sometimes I wonder why I ever became mates with you.” '''I raise my flags, don my clothes' It's a revolution, I suppose Flamgaze’s muscles were tense with anger. Bramblefoot is so going to die, ''she snarled at herself. A thought popped into her mind: ''Then why not assassinate him now? No. Attacking in broad daylight was something that kits did. Flamegaze wasn’t a kit. She was a warrior. And midnight was the best time for killing. “Bramblefoot?” she said sweetly. Bramblefoot’s head jerked up from his muttering. He nodded. “Would you like to re-schedule the training to midnight? I know some things about fighting in low light levels, and it would be nice to teach Mosspaw some stuff.” Bramblefoot purred. “Sure! We can exchange battle moves. Mosspaw!” he called. Mosspaw bounded up carrying a thrush. “The patrols just got back!” he said excitedly. “Do you want to share this—” He was silenced by Bramblefoot’s tail. “Better than sharing prey! We’re training with Flamegaze!” Mosspaw jumped around excitedly. “Oh wow! This will be the best training session ever! When? When?” he yelled. Flamegaze purred at Mosspaw’s hyperactivity. I think I could get to like him. Bramblefoot, being the annoying mountain of dung that he was, ruined all the fun. “Midnight,” he growled. “So get some rest.” Mosspaw stopped dead in his tracks. Which unfortunately, was in mid-air. He fell to the ground with a thump. Flamegaze smacked Bramblefoot on the side of his head. “You ruin all fun! Die and get out of our lives.” Mosspaw laughed. “I said a similar thing to him this morning.” Flamegaze purred. “Now how about we share your thrush?” We'll paint it red to fit right in Whoa I could get used to this, ''Flamegaze thought as she swallowed a mouthful of thrush. “…and I slashed his underbelly with my claws and retreated to my nest. Then I dragged him down with my claws.” “What a clever move! Was that the one you were supposed to teach me?” “Yeah! Isn’t it awesome?” meowed Mosspaw. “I could teach you now, if you like.” Much to Mosspaw’s disappointment, Flamegaze shook her head. “Training is at midnight. We need rest.” Mosspaw slumped to the ground. “You usually aren’t very talkative with your clanmates,” she said suspiciously, “but why are you so confident with me?” Mosspaw looked embarrassed. “Oh… because.. um… I…” “If it’s something you can’t explain, find some more confidence and try again,” Flamegaze spoke gently. “Now, how about some rest?” “Can I rest with you?” Mosspaw blurted out suddenly. Now it was Flamegaze’s turn to look embarrassed. She scuffed the frozen earth with one paw. “I guess you could be allowed into the warriors’ den.” Mosspaw whooped with joy and raced for the warriors’ den. Flamegaze heard a muffled voice from inside. “Which den is yours? The comfy one?” “They’re all comfy!” Flamegaze laughed back at him. “But I’ll show you where mine is, hold on.” Once in the den, Flamegaze made a larger nest my combining hers and Russetwing’s moss. ''It’s nice to let my inner self out for a while, ''she thought as she closed her eyes. ''It helps to throw off any suspicion of who I really am. But who was she really? The sweet she-cat she had once known herself to be, or the killer possessed by demons long ago? I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus This is it, the apocalypse Whoa Mosspaw no longer felt the cold. With Flamegaze beside him, cold was nonexistent. He woke up suddenly. The sky was dark outside, although on one side of the sky was lighter tun the other one. “Wake up!” he urged Flamegaze. “We’re late for training!” Flamegaze groggily raised her head. “We are?” she gasped. I fell asleep minutes ago!” If she fell asleep minutes ago, what did she spend her time doing? ''“It may have felt like a long time ago,” he reassured her. “But we have to go to training. I can’t wait to show you my new battle move!” Flamegaze sighed, got up, and shook out her fur. “We can’t be late!” she chirped, and ran off into the darkness. “Flamegaze, wait!” Mosspaw yelled. But he was too late. Flamegaze had gone. '''I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones' Enough to make my systems blow Flamegaze ran, her paws noisily thrumming against the snow. The wind blew snowflakes into her face, but she didn’t care. She had to find Bramblefoot. It was now or never. “Flamegaze! Why didn’t you wait for me?” Mosspaw’s voice echoed throughout the forest. She halted suddenly. “I’m testing your speed!” she called back to him. Mosspaw’s pale grey body sped through the snow. “Where are we?” he yelled. Flamegaze had to admit, he had a point. The snowstorm made it impossible to see. “I smell him!” yowled Mosspaw. “This way!” Although it was hard to distinguish Mosspaw’s grey shape from the snowstorm, Flamegaze managed to follow him. “Bramblefoot!” she gasped as they entered the clearing. Mosspaw purred with a smug smile on his face. “See? I told you I was a good navigator.” “Uh… you never told me at all,” said Flamegaze, and they both laughed. Bramblestorm stepped closer, and Flamegaze could see his bright amber eyes illuminate the space around them. Now! ''yelled a voice in Flamegaze’s mind. '''Welcome to the new age, to the new age' Welcome to the new age, to the new age Mosspaw flew to the other side of the clearing. What’s happening? ''he panicked. Then he heard Bramblefoot’s voice: “What in Starclan do you think you’re doing?” Then Flamegaze’s purr: “You’ll see.” Then she snarled and a sickening thud was heard. “What’s happening?” Mosspaw croaked suddenly. “We’re being attacked, Mosspaw. We can handle this. Go back to camp.” Flamegaze tried to look reassuring, but Mosspaw could tell she was aware of her surroundings and lying. Flamegaze’s eyes were flitting back and forth. Mosspaw dumbly got up and nodded mutely. “Good,” hissed Flamegaze. Then she ran back into the ‘battle’. '''Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive' Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive For Flamegaze, fighting was exhilarating. The flurry of claws and the feeling of being close to death was Flamegaze’s definition of thrilling. She had lied to Mosspaw, but he was nothing to her. Maybe a little something. But that didn’t matter at the time. She aimed a blow at Bramblefoot’s face, but he ducked away at the last second. Mousedung! Why wasn’t she faster? “Why are you doing this?” Bramblefoot pleaded. Look at him. The stupid little kit. Flamegaze smiled. “To celebrate.” “To celebrate your warrior ceremony? Why not go out with some friends or—” Flamegaze slammed a paw on his neck. “I have no friends!” she snarled. Bramblefoot made a choking noise. Flamegaze sunk her teeth into his neck, and vanished. All systems go, the sun hasn't died Deep in my bones, straight from inside Mosspaw wasn’t in the mood to go back to camp. He prayed to Starclan in hopes that Flamegaze would survive the battle, or whatever it was. Then he heard his father’s scream. “Bramblefoot!” he gasped. He ran into the clearing. His father lay there, blood pooling out of his neck. “What happened?” “Pale… ginger… attacked… neck… dying…” It was a struggle to speak. Mosspaw shivered with panic. “We should get you back to camp.” “No… I… die in snow.” “But you can’t!” wailed Mosspaw. “What about Larknose?” “Ahh,” Bramblefoot’s face twisted into a smile. “I wronged her. Maybe we can be re-united in Starclan.” “You can’t die!” repeated Mosspaw. Bramblefoot closed his eyes. “The stars are calling me.” He shuddered, and was still. I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones Enough to make my systems blow Flamegaze burst into the clearing. She was surprised and angry to see Mosspaw crouching by Bramblefoot’s dead body. “Why aren’t you back at camp?” she asked. Mosspaw didn’t respond. “Did a cat kill Bramblefoot?” she asked. “Pale ginger.” Flamegaze silently purred. At least he didn’t know that she killed Bramblefoot. Suddenly her limbs felt a surge of energy. She felt herself retreat into her spirit. She searched around frantically for her inner self. It was gone. She was losing control of herself. Welcome to the new age, to the new age Welcome to the new age, to the new age “Did you see the rogue who killed him?” Mosspaw pleaded. “I need to avenge my father!” Flamegaze bared her teeth at him, something she had never done before. Her eyes were now pitch black, and she looked terrifying, but beautiful. “Do you really want to know the truth, Mosspaw?” she said, putting on a honey coated voice. “It won’t be the nicest thing you will hear.” “Just tell me who killed him!” Mosspaw screamed. Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive “I killed him!” Flamegaze snarled. Mosspaw was so shocked that he fell backwards into the snow. Flamegaze? A murderer? Flamegaze was his love! Even if she was a cold-blooded murderer, she still had many good qualities. But was he doing the right thing? “I’ll keep your secret, Flamegaze.” Deep down, a part of him knew he was going to regret his decision. He looked up to see her eyes, once again bright green. Then she faded away, leaving Mosspaw in the snow.